Shugo Shinobi
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: After a particularly rough night, Naruto awakens to find two eggs on his bed! How will these 'chara' help him become a better ninja, and why can only a few see them? And why does one of the Chara resemble the Fourth Hokage? Naru/Hina
1. Chapter 1

It was an ordinary day when they appeared. Naruto had been chased out of yet another store, the civilians beat him to a bloody mess, and the ANBU dog chased away the people who had hurt him. All in all it was a regular day for ten year old Naruto.

He hated it. The glares, the yelling, the look of disgust.

But he bore it all with practiced ease. He didn't have a choice. It was either grin and bear with it, or go on a killing spree and live out his days in fear of the place he had once called home.

It wasn't until he was eleven that things turned around.

He had made it back to his house, unscathed. Iruka had dropped him off right after treating him to ramen.

Before Naruto went to sleep (having done his daily exercises fifty times) he stared at the moon and thought to himself...

_I wish I had someone to talk to. Someone who could help me bear this loneliness and show me how to be a better ninja..._

* * *

He woke up with a start...and stared.

On his bed were two eggs. One was a bright sunny yellow, roughly the same color as his hair around the bottom were toads. The other was a burnt orange and it had crimson waves along the center.

He gently picked them up and was shocked to find them warm against his hands.

Since he wasn't in the mood for eggs that morning (they were too interesting to eat, and he decided that he could possibly raise whatever came out as a ninja pet) he ate his breakfast quickly and got to the school.

Right as he was worrying about the test he had to take, he felt one of the eggs shift.

_GAH! I hate paper tests! I can never remember the answers!_

And just like that, something clicked. The symbol on his shoulder, which was normally a spiral, abruptly shifted to flames.

**Then why not change? From a dead last to a child prodigy!**

And suddenly Naruto remembered the answers, as if the book was right in front of him. He was the first to finish, much to the shock of Iruka. Iruka's eyes widened when he decided to grade the test anyway, since he knew full well the other teachers would flunk Naruto no matter what answers he gave.

Naruto had gotten a perfect score! And there was no chance the boy could have cheated, since he was the first to finish.

Naruto spent the rest of the class practicing his aim. But while his body was focused on getting better, his mind was free to wander.

_What the hell just happened? One minute I couldn't remember a thing, the next I finish my test before Sasuke and Shikamaru!_

He heard a crack. And pulled out the golden egg.

What came out shocked the hell out of him.

It was a miniature version of himself, only older with longer hair! He was wearing a coat that was eerily reminiscent of the Fourth, and on his shoulder was a toad.

"Yo! Name's Namikaze!"

If the little person wasn't floating, then Naruto would have dropped him out of complete and utter shock.

"What...the hell?"

* * *

Once class was over, Naruto went into the creepy forest that the civilian avoided like the plague.

It was called Area 44, and it was the only place in the village where people would actually leave him alone and not chase him. Well, except for a crazy lady who always smelled of dango, but she never bothered him.

"Right...so what are you and why were you in an egg?"

"I'm a Guardian Character! I'm the person that's sleeping inside of you, if given a chance to come out and shine!"

Naruto grinned. He didn't really understand it all, but he knew this.

He finally had a friend!

"Cool! So who should we prank first?"

Namikaze's grin was positively evil.

* * *

"ARGH! DAMN YOU NARUTO!" screamed the ANBU he had just hit with a paint tag.

Namikaze and Naruto laughed as they ducked the kunai sent their way.

Pranking shinobi may not be a very practical way to use your ninja skills, but it definitely improved your stamina! Besides, they had earned everything they got!

Naruto took a breather once he reached the forest. Not even the ANBU would think to chase him in here!

Namikaze was laughing his head off.

"That was sooo cool! I can't believe you were able to avoid those kunai like that!"

"Years of practice. I heard from this ANBU dog that there's a Naruto Dart Board in their lounge from all the times I've hit them! I wonder why no one pranks them more than I have. It's a great way to improve our skills!"

Namikaze grinned at him.

For the next week, Naruto practically lived in the training area. It was the only place safe from retribution.

* * *

Naruto had just turned thirteen. And he was in total panic mode.

It was a week before the Genin qualification test, Naruto was freaking out. He knew, he just knew, that the test would involve the bane of his existence.

The clone jutsu.

Ever since Namikaze woke up, Naruto had been able to at least pass his written exams. That didn't mean he liked taking them, he was more of a practical lesson person.

Iruka couldn't have been happier, since it meant Naruto was no longer the dead last of the class.

(As a result, after every test Iruka treated Naruto to ramen.)

Namikaze wasn't worried. He had a plan.

It wouldn't be hard to convince Naruto to make his clones solid instead of an illusion. Naruto had the hardest time making illusions...his chakra control was slip shod at best. Yet he had the largest amount of it in his class. No matter how many jutsu he used, he still had more than his peers.

Which could account for some of the looks the other children shot him during their lessons.

Naruto, who had learned through trial and error that it was usually a better idea to listen to the tiny Chara, decided it was worth a shot. It couldn't possibly be harder than the regular way!

To the collective shock of both Namikaze and Naruto, he not only managed to produce a solid clone after fifteen tries, but he had created at least fifty of them!

Naruto blinked, and the clones vanished in a poof. He had to sit down from the head rush.

Namikaze cheered! Perhaps this time Naruto would actually _pass_ the exam!

For the next week, Naruto experimented with the new clone jutsu he had discovered. It took him a few days to figure out whatever the clones learned, he learned too.

After that he decided to set them practicing jutsu while he was in class.

Then, without warning, the genin exam was upon him.

Naruto aced the taijutsu, narrowly passed the written, and barreled through the kunai and shuriken test.

All that was left was the ninjutsu. And he was unhappy to find out that yes, the clone jutsu was still on it.

Fortune, however, favored him this time, because Iruka was at the table. Which meant that he would at least be fair about it. Sadly, Naruto knew from past experience that even if he had passed the other three, if he didn't produce a clone then he would be flunked out...again.

He set his mouth in a determined line, and put his hands into the seal that he found worked best. The others were a bit iffy. He sent his chakra down the paths he had marked, and produced no less than four perfect clones.

Iruka and Mizuki's mouths dropped from outright disbelief. Until Iruka gathered his wits and finally asked him...

"Naruto...who taught you the shadow clone jutsu?"

Naruto blinked.

"That's what it's called? I just thought solid clones would be easier to make than those fake ones..."

Iruka face vaulted, before he recovered.

"Naruto, the shadow clone jutsu is a jounin level ninjutsu!" he sputtered.

"Huh...does this mean I pass?"

Iruka actually grinned at the boy.

"Congratulations Naruto, you finally passed the genin exam!"

Naruto cheered, loudly, before taking his headband. He walked out with a thousand watt smile, to the disbelief and shock of his classmates.

"No way!"

"The loser actually _passed?_"

"I don't believe it!"

Naruto ignored them all, and sat next to Hinata. She had her headband on around her neck, to his amusement.

"Con-congratulations...Naruto-kun..." she said quietly.

"Thanks Hinata-chan. I couldn't have done it without Namikaze's suggestion though..."

She gave him a confused look, so he elaborated rather quietly.

"Namikaze is the person I want to be when I grow up. He said he's called a guardian character, born out of the desire to be my real self. I have another one, but I think he's really lazy cause he hasn't woken up yet."

"A person born out of your wish to be who you really are?" she asked, surprised.

Naruto nodded.

"It's our little secret. Since Namikaze showed up tests don't bother me as much... Still hate taking them though."

Hinata laughed, and went back to the awkward silence.

* * *

Right before she went to bed, she made a small wish.

_I wish I could be brave, like Naruto-kun. And strong like mother was._

The next morning she awoke to an egg on her pillow. No one else seemed to notice it.

She heard the news about the traitor Mizuki-sensei, who had somehow tricked Naruto into stealing an important scroll from the Hokage. Naruto had brought it back, so he wasn't in too much trouble.

_Flashback to the Forest with Mizuki..._

Mizuki sneered at Naruto. Iruka had beaten him to the boy, so Naruto knew he had done something wrong. It looked like he had been practicing for a while though.

Naruto glared at him. Mizuki-sensei had not only lied to him, he had tried to get him killed!

Namikaze was awake and he looked furious.

Then Mizuki had dropped a real bomb on the two. The reason why Naruto was hated by almost everyone in the village, and why the parents never allowed their children to be friends with him...was because the Fourth had sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko in him as a baby!

Namikaze was furious for some reason, but Naruto couldn't figure out why.

Something inside Naruto snapped. Iruka looked beyond angry at Mizuki. He was pissed off.

It was then that the second egg that Naruto always carried with him woke up. And he had to fight the urge to stare.

The second Chara was _nothing_ like Namikaze.

He had red hair and fox ears. His eyes weren't warm at all, and looked sort of like a cat's. He had nine burnt orange tails that waved in the wind. And his outfit was rather like Naruto's, only with red being the main color with gold being the secondary. Around his neck was a choker with what appeared to be a sealing charm hanging from it.

"_Name's Kurama, brat. Now let's take care of that whiny traitor so I can go back to sleep."_

Naruto went to run from the large shuriken Mizuki threw at him, but to his shock Iruka blocked it from hitting him.

He listened to Iruka's words, before he bolted. He needed time to think.

Naruto was actually crying when he realized that even though Iruka _knew_ about the fox inside him, he still cared about him enough to consider him a valued comrade. When Mizuki went to kill him for getting in the way, Naruto acted.

Kurama the fox Chara grinned cruelly as he let Naruto character change with him. Only Mizuki saw the red eyes and whisker marks becoming more feral.

The resulting beating he got from the boy would put him in the hospital for a week, though he was only given the minimum of care before the T and I Department got their hands on him.

Iruka had smiled at Naruto, and since the boy clearly had been tricked, treated him to ramen.

(Unseen by Iruka, Kurama and Namikaze kept stealing from his ramen bowl. Naruto nearly choked trying not to laugh.)

_Flashback end..._

* * *

Naruto left his apartment with a spring in his step. Today was the day he got his picture taken. Namikaze had convinced him away from the face painting, reminding him that camera shinobi were generally less than friendly to genin.

He really didn't want a pissed off camera shinobi on his ass.

On his waist was the new belt he had bought, which had two pouches that were perfect for his eggs. Kurama preferred to sleep, since he had only been awakened due to the shock Mizuki had given the kid. Namikaze took his usual perch on Naruto's shoulder.

Not for the first time, Naruto noted the odd resemblance Namikaze had to the Fourth Hokage. He had always shrugged it off before.

But after looking in the Forbidden scroll (and stealing several jutsu from it, mostly at Namikaze's insistence to keep certain ones that looked interesting) he started to suspected as to why they looked almost alike.

Naruto was beginning to suspect that Namikaze was in fact the spirit of the Fourth Hokage, given a new form. A form only _he_ could see at the moment. If he was right, then Kurama wasn't just a normal Chara either. He was the Fox that had been sealed inside of him, given a chance for some fresh air without being able to hurt anyone.

So long as he didn't try anything, Naruto could live with that.

The Hokage chuckled when he saw the picture. He had honestly expected Naruto to do something silly, like paint his face.

Instead, the boy defied his expectations and the only prank he had pulled was the rather amusing pair of what appeared to be cat ears on his head.

Since the boy honestly could have done much, much worse, he decided to let it slide.

Though he did wonder what the little doll on his shoulder was doing there, with a victory pose. And where Naruto had found such a realistic doll of the Fourth Hokage.

Then again, he had noticed the little doll before, and had said nothing. He noted with amusement that Naruto had found the belt he had specifically ordered a week ago. Unknown to the boy, he had borrowed the second egg that Naruto always carried around and had it measured. It was rather simple to have the one clothing store who wouldn't throw Naruto out on sight make a belt so he could carry the eggs around safely. He had even added a third pouch in case another one showed up.

He didn't know what the eggs were, or what they did. All he knew was that ever since they had shown up, Naruto smiled more and was no longer the dead last of the Academy. He just assumed they were a good luck charm, and let the boy carry them everywhere.

Just then, his grandson showed up. And then his day went to hell.

* * *

Hinata couldn't believe that she had somehow given birth to a strange egg. Fortunately for her, no one else could see the egg.

The day before she was assigned to her genin team, the egg hatched.

A small red haired woman with mischievous eyes smiled at her.

"Hi! My name's Kushina!"

"H-Hinata Hyuuga."

Kushina was a bright, bubbly little person. She strongly reminded Hinata of her crush on Naruto. Well, aside from the hair anyway. This was only exasperated by the fact that Kushina had the oddest verbal tic.

When she was flustered she would end her sentences in with the word dattebane.

(Naruto had a similar tic, since he usually ended his with dattebayo.)

It wasn't until her father attempted to 'train' (read: beat the living hell out of her under the guise of training) that she learned the side effects of Kushina being around her.

Kushina, enraged by the way Hinata's father abused his daughter, character changed with the girl and then lit into the man.

He was so shocked at the sudden change that he stopped hitting his daughter and really looked at her. Hinata, when she regained control, fled the mansion rather embarrassed that she had shouted at him.

Kushina was unrepentant.

It was when she happened to pass by Naruto that she finally realized he had a small doll like thing on his shoulder. It resembled the Fourth Hokage picture she had seen in her books.

She hid in the shadows, too embarrassed to be seen by her crush.

Kushina wasn't having that.

_Chara change! From a shy girl into a real kunoichi!_

Hinata's face turned red when she realized Kushina had taken over again.

_'Kushina-chan...!'_

'You shouldn't be so embarrassed. You're a kunoichi, and you're stronger than you believe. I am the person that was sleeping inside of you, so I would know. You have to believe in yourself!'

Hinata decided to take a chance and go for it. Unfortunately Naruto had already moved on.

So Hinata went home. To her surprise, her father didn't chastise her for being out so late.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto was grinning from ear to ear. Today was the day he got assigned to his team! His only wish was that he didn't end up with the Emo-King of the class Sasuke. Namikaze agreed wholeheartedly.

Kurama had yet to wake up since he had hatched. Not that Naruto minded, since the Fox chara was rather grumpy.

Naruto ate his breakfast, avoiding the milk once his chara noted the date had passed a month ago. Kurama grumbled, wishing the boy was able to buy fresh milk when he needed it.

(Naruto had attempted to bypass the hatred of the civilians by dressing as an Aburame, but had nearly gotten caught four times by one of his classmates named Shino.)

After that, Naruto resigned himself to the fact that he would never have fresh milk. He usually had fresh fruits, since he grew them in a small greenhouse beside his apartment.

It wasn't actually a greenhouse. Naruto just commandeered the empty apartment next to his since he realized no one was going to rent or buy it as long as he lived across the hall. The Hokage had seen his point, which was why it was unofficially listed as a private greenhouse. In exchange for that, Naruto agreed to grow medicinal herbs for the medic ninjas. So long as no one told them where it came from, they would buy it.

The fact that selling medicinal herbs gave him a somewhat larger income was only a bonus.

* * *

Iruka looked at the children before him. It was a mixture of emotions as he gazed at them. Both pride...and regret.

Pride, because he knew that as a teacher he had done well and taught them everything they would need to face the world ahead.

And regret, knowing that chances were high they wouldn't even last as genin, or worse, died during their missions.

A few might stay on the traditional teams, or a very lucky select few would get taken on as an apprentice to another jounin.

But out of the twenty one children he was sending out, it was unlikely more than twelve would make it to true Genin status.

His only hope was that Naruto, who had worked harder than any of the students in his class to pass, made it past the Genin bell test.

Which was why he had told the Hokage not to place him on the same team as Sasuke Uchiha. And he had voted against placing Sasuke on a team with any kunoichi, aside from Hinata, because he feared it would bring the team down.

Hiashi had told the Hokage point blank he didn't want the Uchiha survivor on a team with his heir.

Iruka reached into his desk, wincing slightly as it stretched his wounds, and then began to read off the teams.

He rattled off the names, only pausing when he reached the few he believed would survive the bell test.

"Team seven will be Naruto Uzamaki, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Abarame."

Iruka gave a sigh of relief. Thank kami the Hokage had actually _listened_ to his warnings. Kurenai was one of the few Jounin who didn't have an major grudge against the kid. She was more indifferent to the boy when she met him on the street, but it was still better than the anger and hatred some of the jounin had for him.

"Team eight will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka."

(Iruka hid a wince at that. Even if they _did_ pass the exams, it was unlikely they would work very well as teammates unless the situation absolutely called for it. The fact that Kakashi was their instructor would only make things worse!)

He rattled off the rest, not surprised to see another Ino-Shika-Cho team on the list. At least Asuma could handle their fighting.

Naruto looked rather excited to be on a team with the two people who actually bothered to work with him during the mock drills in class.

While Shino never actually talked to him, he at least never moved away from him either. His parents were one of the rare few who allowed him to be associated with Naruto.

(That was the main reason why Naruto had dared to dress up as an Aburame the few times he needed groceries. They might have been more sympathetic to his problem.)

Hinata was the only girl in his class who would sit next to him and not gush about the 'greatness' that was Sasuke Uchiha. The only problem he had with her was the fact that she always turned tomato red and stammered when talking to him.

His jounin instructor was rather pretty, though her red eyes reminded him of Kurama's outfit.

He was a bit dismayed to find out that they had another test before they were true Genin, but considering who he had on his team he didn't complain. He could at least tolerate being around them.

* * *

Naruto, Hinata and Shino arrived at the meeting point, having eaten breakfast.

(Naruto was surprised to find fresh milk in his fridge, courtesy of Kurama, who had stolen it. Though he had laughed himself to tears when he heard how freaked out the shop keeper had been to see the milk floating in the air.)

"Morning Shino, Hinata!" said Naruto cheerfully.

"Morning Uzamaki," said Shino tonelessly.

"M-morning...Naruto-kun" said Hinata. Her stammering was a little better this morning, Naruto noted.

When he said the little red haired chara on her shoulder, his grin widened. So she had actually listened to his advice!

Kuranai arrived, and she was rather pleased that her genin were at least getting along for the moment. Not to mention early. If this was how they acted under normal circumstances, then she was rather hopeful about her team.

Even if she did end up with the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox. So long as the boy listened to her instructions she was going to withhold judgment on the matter.

"Listen up. In order to pass this test you have only one requirement. In my hand are two bells. If you want to avoid being sent back to the Academy you have to steal one of these bells. The loser goes without lunch."

Naruto clearly didn't want to get sent back. But if he had to chose between going back and letting his teammates down, he would prefer to be sent back. He could always help Iruka out if he never made it to the Shinobi ranks.

Kuranai started the chase off with a flash bang, and vanished into the forest.

Naruto turned to Shino and Hinata.

"I don't know about you, but I don't fancy my chances against her alone."

"Agreed. Our chances of retrieving the bells would only improve if we teamed up. But who would be the odd man out?"

"I can handle being sent back. If nothing else I can try again next year," shrugged Naruto.

And with that, the three began to plan. Kuranai was hiding from the team, impressed. Clearly they had grasped the real meaning behind the test, because instead of going off half baked they had taken the time to team up and plan.

* * *

_Four hours later..._

Naruto was tied up to the post, having effectively acted as the distraction for Shino and Hinata. He was so used to being tied up by Iruka after a prank that he honestly didn't care.

On either side of him, Shino and Hinata were breathing hard. But they had been rewarded for their efforts with the bells.

Kuranai appeared before them, scowling.

"What in kami's name were you thinking, using that many clones? You could have killed yourself with that stunt!"

"It worked didn't it?"

She had to admit, it did work.

"The only thing I can say is... Congratulations, Team seven. You've passed the test."

"Huh?"

She grinned outright at their surprised looks.

"The main premise of this test is _teamwork._ To see whether or not you could work effectively with your fellow shinobi. Which you did rather spectacularly I may add," she added dryly.

"So does that mean...?"

"We start missions tomorrow," she confirmed.

Naruto cheered, though he quickly remembered that he had been tied up. Shino took pity on him, since Naruto never could master the trick to escaping ropes. And he had tried, many times, to at least become passable at it.

(The sad fact was that his large chakra reserves made some of the easier jutsu impossible for him. He simply couldn't handle such a small amount of chakra being sent through his coils.)

Naruto was so happy to have passed the exam that he decided to treat his new teammates to ramen. It didn't hurt that he had just been paid for a large amount of aloe by the medic ninja.

Since they had nothing better to do (and it was a good way to build trust between them) the other two accepted.

Shino was rather surprised to have been invited for ramen, even if he wasn't that fond of the noodles. Hinata would never turn down a chance to get closer to Naruto.

He ordered his meal, noting that the owners weren't giving Naruto the rather cold looks he had seen on the way there. Then Naruto said the oddest thing to Hinata.

"So what's your Chara's name?"

"K-Kushina..."

"Cool! Come on out Namikaze and Kurama!"

Shino heard an odd pop, but that was it. Hinata seemed to see whatever Naruto had called out though. Even his hive sensed something had appeared.

"What are these...Chara?" he asked.

Naruto turned, surprised he had spoken.

"Chara are the people we want to be, sleeping inside of us. If you truly wish to change something about yourself, and make a wish, then you get what's called a Chara egg. The person or creature that comes out is the sleeping potential that is inside everyone."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"Mine woke up three years ago. Thanks to Namikaze I was able to do all those paper tests."

Shino seemed to consider the idea. While it was irritating not being able to see the tiny people Naruto mentioned, he honestly had no idea who or what he wanted to be.

Perhaps gaining a Chara Egg could help him make the right step forward.

* * *

The next morning Shino awoke to find the oddest looking egg on his bed. It had fiery red marking all over the shell, and around the middle was what appeared to be strange weapons. A mirror and prayer beads.

It wasn't until a week later that his egg hatched. Naruto had been asking about their hobbies and the character inside his egg forced Shino to speak out.

"I happen to enjoy Calligraphy."

His two teammates stopped and stared. Mostly because Shino almost never talked unless asked a question. Naruto was the first to find his voice.

"Strangely, I can actually see you bent over a desk with a brush."

_What...the hell?_

It was then that Shino saw the two little doll like people on Naruto and Hinata's shoulders.

"Who are those two?"

Naruto's grin was wide as he said "So you can finally see them?"

Shino nodded warily, then reached for his egg. It had cracks in the middle, but the inside was empty.

"Finally! I thought you would never hear me!" said a tiny voice.

Shino looked, and still couldn't find the owner of the voice. That is, until Naruto laughed and Hinata looked like she was trying not to giggle. Naruto's shaking finger caused Shino to reach up and grab something off his head.

He opened his palm to find...a tiny beetle like person. He couldn't really see the face, but it almost reminded him of a greenish-blue firefly.

"Who are you?"

"My named Issun*! I'm the person you had hidden inside of you!"

* * *

Issun, it appeared, was quite the talkative chara. Almost like a tamer Naruto. Aside from being somewhat annoying, Issun was a wellspring of surprises.

It had started easily enough. One of the bridges they were supposed to take back to the village was ruined by a recent flood. Kuranai decided to make camp instead of braving the torrent that had yet to go down.

Shino was about to help Naruto set up camp when Issun spoke up.

_Why are you guys taking a break? You can fix the bridge before night falls easy!_

Irritated after a long tedious mission, Shino snapped at his Chara.

"_How_?"

Issun grinned (as far as Shino could grasp he was grinning, it was hard to tell with bugs sometimes) and then took over.

_Chara change!_

Shino could feel the change immediately. Naruto and Hinata watched discreetly, interested in what changes Issun would cause in Shino.

In Shino's pack was a calligraphy set Naruto had given him as a gift. The moment Issun took charge, the brush from the kit came to Shino's hand.

_Celestial Brush Technique! Rejuvanation!_

Shino's brush changed without warning, and he painted a large blot of ink from the end to end of the bridge. The moment Issun went back to Shino's shoulder, the technique took effect.

The three genin blinked in disbelief.

Issun had somehow managed to repair the bridge. And without alerting Kuranai to that fact until she noted her genin weren't setting up camp. Then she gaped in disbelief.

"How... Who?"

The two decided not to mention it was Shino's doing...sort of.

They packed up the camping supplies, and returned to Konoha in good time.

"Issun, what exactly _was_ that you did?" asked Shino once he was alone.

"One of the thirteen celestial brush techniques. I used to hang out with Amaterasu a while back, and I learned all thirteen. Some of them are harder for me to use than others.**"

"...Think you could teach me?"

"I think there's a reason why I became a Guardian Character of all things."

Shino smiled behind his coat. Perhaps his hobby was more useful than he had thought.

* * *

Naruto was tired of the endless chore of D rank missions, and said as much when Kuranai tried to push the hell that was retrieving Tora on them...for the fifth time that week.

He was so loud that Iruka went to chastise the boy. At least until he saw the looks Hinata and Shino were shooting him. There was no chance in the nine hells they were going to chase Tora again. If Kuranai thought they were going to accept that, then they were going to bother her friend Anko for torture techniques.

It was something of a shock to the woman that her genin would much rather deal with the insane and snarky Anko Mitarashi than do D rank missions some days.

Hinata, the shy wallflower of the group, got along with the woman like a building on fire. She had fainted the day she found that tidbit out.

(Unknown to Kuranai, it wasn't that Hinata got along with Anko, it was more that Kushina absolutely _adored_ the woman. Much to the shock of the genin, Anko was one of the rare adults who could actually see their Chara.)

The Hokage coughed. The last time Team seven visited with Anko, they had given the ANBu nightmares that only intensive therapy could cure, and some of them still twitched every time Anko gave them a look.

Naruto really shouldn't have used the glue and feather tags on them. Even if it had been hilarious to see fifty giant chickens running after three genin and one crazy snake bitch.

Anko had then treated them to dango. It was only the fear of Naruto's promise to do much, much worse if provoked that had kept them from going after the three.

Perhaps they should be given a C rank...if only to ease the growing fear of the ANBU for a few weeks.

The Hokage handed Kuranai a scroll, and upon reading it she nodded. It seemed like a fairly straight forward mission. At the most they would have to deal with bandits, which were rather easy to deal with.

The main issue she saw was the client himself. Tasuna was a drunk, and seemed to know just how to annoy her genin.

Naruto packed according to Namikaze's suggestions, then Kurama reminded him about the greenhouse next door. There was only _one_ thing they could think of.

If they were going to be going away, why not help out their fellow genin?

Naruto went to the old man and mentioned the problem. Upon hearing his suggestion, the Hokage grinned. It was the perfect way to trick the same people who looked down on him and still have living plants later!

Asuma's team turned out to be the ones stuck watching Naruto's plants until he got back. At the most it would be a three week mission at best. His only request was that Chouji try not to eat all the fruit he had growing. He didn't mind a few missing here and there.

He wondered how Ino and her team would react when they found out who owned the greenhouse.

* * *

_Team Ten's reaction to that mission..._

"What do you mean you recognize these fruits?" asked Ino.

"I recognize the taste! Mom loves these particular apples, and she always buys two crates of them whenever their in season. They make the best apple pies you'll ever have."

"I wonder who this place belongs to? It looks more like an apartment than a greenhouse," said Shikamaru.

"It was. But no one wanted to buy the place so the person who lives next to it bought it and turned it into a greenhouse," said Asuma, grinning outright. He _knew_ who lived next to it.

"Wait, why didn't anyone want this place? It looks fairly well kept and it's in a cheap neighborhood!" said Ino.

"No one wanted to live here. At least it's being used constructively."

"Who lives next door to it?"

Asuma was grinning evilly now.

"You'll find out when he comes back. I'm not going to run _his_ surprise."

"Whoever this guy is, he's got a natural green thumb. You don't see this combination of plants thriving that often unless you give them real care..." said Ino.

Asuma barely managed to keep from laughing. Naruto was definitely going to enjoy the looks on their faces when they found out.

* * *

***_I will give props to anyone who can recognize who Issun is. And name where he comes from._**

****_ This is the last hint as to where Issun comes from people!_**


End file.
